Conclusion
Ultimately, the 1973 merger between Brooklyn Poly and NYU will be remembered for its stressful, problematic timing that successfully merged the two schools but failed to provide lasting success for the new institution. During this time period, it is important to understand how the poor economic state of the country and the decline of popularity of engineering was affecting universities across the country. Many engineering colleges were struggling to stay afloat as demonstrated by the fact that Brooklyn Poly and NYU were not the only major engineering colleges to merge in that decade. For instance in 1967, Carnegie Tech and Mellon University merged to form Carnegie Mellon University (“History - CMU - Carnegie Mellon University”). In that same year, Case Institute of Technology and Western Reserve University joined together to form Case Western Reserve University (“The Story of Cwru”). However, unlike these mergers, the 1973 merger between Brooklyn Poly and NYU failed to produce lasting change because the schools would re-merge in 2014. If the 1973 merger really was successful, then there would be no need to remerge the schools. While the merger in 2014 was a much more hostile takeover on NYU’s part, the 1973 merger seemed to be much more of an actual merger than anything else. Unlike the 2014 merger which absorbed Brooklyn Poly into NYU’s school system and renamed it the Tandon School of Engineering, the 1973 merger brought representatives from both schools and renamed it to something much more in the middle ground. Furthermore, the proposal for the merged institute features promises from both schools and common goals that both parties agreed upon. Regardless of the failed merger, the act of the merging itself is likely what saved the school, and current Tandon students looking back should be proud of it. The merger was a true collaboration between two schools that were longtime rivals who came together, created common objectives, and achieved meaningful success that lasts today. Without this merger, engineering would not be able to survive in New York without the presence of NYU or Brooklyn Poly engineering. Without this merger there would be no Metrotech in Brooklyn at all. Without this merger at all there would be no Tandon at all, and that is something to be thankful for.